Obstacles as Opportunities

A little child loves a good opportunity. Mom leaves the room? The cookie jar is unguarded. The counter is too high? Pshh... I can just stack pots and pans so I can climb up. Any obstacle becomes a challenge, an opportunity to conquer. I'm not sure at what age that starts to fade in us. I remember when I was seven or eight, my sisters and I thought it would be really fun to tie me up in multiple ropes and see if I could escape (we had just seen a movie about Houdini). Suddenly my sisters transformed into Navy sailors with astonishing knot tying abilities. And with pride I can tell you that I became Houdini that afternoon--I wiggled, twisted, and freed myself from every single knot.

At sixteen I had begun the college search in earnest, researching, comparing, and arranging campus visits like a pro. The summer before my senior year, I spent some time checking out universities in D.C before starting my summer program there. My aunt dropped me off in the city on her way to work and I walked and took the bus all over D.C. Alone. At 16 years old. Fearless. I was so excited for the opportunities before me that any obstacles were quickly pushed aside.

I can't seem to put my finger on a day or a moment when that approach to challenges became less instinctive. I think we all experience a time or have a certain situation in which we start to brace ourselves for the worst when a difficult obstacles appears in our path. The fears start to creep in, the doubt and uncertainty in our own abilities, and the questioning of divine help. The baggage we carry around from life experience, if not properly handled, can start to cloud our vision of the opportunities before us.

The story of young Nephi, the son of Lehi, in the Book of Mormon is the perfect example of this phenomenon. The Lord commanded Lehi to take his family out of Jerusalem and flee into the wilderness. With every commandment given to them during this time, there was an obstacle or a difficulty to overcome. Obtaining the plates of brass required going through a process to follow the guidance of the Spirit and get the plates from Laban. The challenges they faced such as breaking their bows, building a ship, gaining direction in their travels, etc, all provided opportunities for them to rise up, increase their faith, and draw closer to the Lord.

Ok, this is the point in the post I had reach before my wonderful trip to California. But I was so excited and distracted I didn't finish putting all my thoughts together. Now I'm glad I didn't because I had some great challenges that became opportunities, and because I had been thinking about how I wanted to face these challenges I was able to find the blessings behind it. Upon arriving at the Oakland airport all excited last Friday morning, I took the shuttle over to the car rental plaza to pick up my rental. I made these reservations months ago and paid for everything in full beforehand. However, upon arriving there were some problems with the rental. Long story short, they wouldn't give me my rental and other companies would charge me an arm and a leg to do so at short notice and because a big convention was in town. So I found myself in a big city that I've never been in, trying to figure out how to get from downtown Oakland to Walnut Creek. I reflected on our discussion in institute about doing all we can so after praying for guidance, I tried everything I could think of to make it work. When that didn't work, I came up with an alternate plan and prayed for guidance. I gave myself a very "edna-like" pep talk and took the shuttle back to the airport. From there I took the the bus to the metro station (called Bart in the Bay area), and took the metro north switching lines along the way before arriving in the correct city. After leaving the metro station I got lost looking for the hotel, but finally made my way there. Quite the adventurous first day.

Not always in these kind of situations are the blessings immediately apparent, but I feel that this time they were. Because I didn't have a rental car, I carpooled with other bridesmaids and the bride's family to the dance, the sealing, and the reception, not the mention when we went into San Francisco. Having my own rental car might have isolated myself in a situation where I already didn't know very many people. Also, later on my hotel reservation for an extra night was mixed up so my friend offered to let me stay with her family. Doing so became one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. I will blog more about the trip later ( it will probably encompass multiple posts because of the incredible nature of it all).

Heavenly Father gives us opportunities to learn, to act upon our faith, to trust Him, and to follow the Spirit. Sometimes, when the "mists of darkness" cloud our vision, all we can see are obstacles and frustrations. But I know with all my heart that because He loves us, he lets us learn through experience, allows us to do all we can and rely on the Savior so we can become more like Him.

The Day Before

I don't remember much about September 10th, 2001. I know what the routine was, I remember we were starting a unit about ancient Egypt in class, and I vaguely remember my mom was late to pick us up to carpool home. And yet, the next day is burned into my memory as it is on millions of others. We don't know the day before tragedy hits or the day before we meet the love of our life. We can only live life one day at a time.

December 6th 1941 was just another winter day. October 28th 1929 was a crisp fall day. November 21, 1963 was full of Thanksgiving preparations. Today, December 7th, October 29th and November 22nd are big letter days in our history textbook marking the attack on Pearl Harbor, the stock market crash on Black Tuesday, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. But the day before we didn't know our lives would change forever.

I am a firm believer in remembering and learning from the past, in loving and enjoying the present, and in planning and preparing for the future. They each have their place in the balance of our lives; too much emphasis on any one time frame and we run into all sorts of trouble. Holding onto the past, whether the grievances and mistakes, or the glory days of old, keeps us from progressing and becoming who we are meant to be. Living only for today (yolo) can lead to selfishness as we distance ourselves from the lessons we need to learn from the past and the preparations we need to prepare for the future. And if we find ourselves planning and preparing only for what is to come, we will miss the beautiful daily joys.

I don't have a magic formula for creating this harmonic blend of all three in my life. I don't have all the answers. But today I am reflecting on how grateful I am for the lessons I've learned since that tragic September morning 13 years ago. And as I have studied World War II and the Holocaust over the past 15 years, I have seen a remarkable similarity in tragic and trying times; at the very times we are seeing the worst of humanity (terrorism, genocide), we also see the most incredible displays of heroism, selflessness, and love.

I love the quote by Winston Churchill:“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”

We don't know the day before our lives change drastically, but when we treasure the small daily changes I believe we gain a much wider perspective on life. It doesn't need to be about the day before, today, or the day after. Life is about all of it together and how it influences each of us.

The Peter Potential

"We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking...We are all meant to shine... We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; It's in everyone."- Marianna Williamson

Besides being one of my all time favorite quotes, this is how the new book, The Peter Potential, by David Butler and Emily Belle Freeman starts. And perhaps the apostle Peter illustrates this principle better than anyone else. Peter's journey from ordinary fisherman to the chief disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is nothing short of miraculous. The Lord teaches, invites, and guides Peter to help him grow, progress, and become who the Lord knew he could become. Doesn't the Lord do that with all of us? He sees us as we really are. He knows our hearts, our minds, our desires, our dreams, our weaknesses and strengths. And when we give all of that to him, He makes us more. As the book says, "If the Lord can do great things with a single loaf [of bread], imagine what he can do with a single life."

This is not a rare development-this is Heavenly Father's pattern of loving and teaching His children. This week in my Book of Mormon institute class we were in 1 Nephi 3-4 studying the process Nephi and his brothers go through to obtain the plates. We talked about why the Lord didn't have them get the plates before leaving Jerusalem- He knew they needed them from the beginning. They are many reasons or ideas as to why, but the one that stuck out most to me was that the Lord needed to allow them the faith building experiences that would come as a result. Learning how to trust in the Lord, how to follow the Spirit, and many other lessons were planted deep in Nephi during this journey. The Lord was building Nephi into the prophet, offering the opportunity of faith for Laman and Lemuel, giving Sariah and Lehi a chance to put their trust in Him and know for a surety that this was His plan for them. God loved this family so much he gave them faith-building, soul-stretching opportunities. He does the same with each of us.

We see it in the story of Alma the Younger and his incredible conversion- the Lord saw his potential to do good and change millions of lives. In the stories of his converts, Amulek and Zeezrom, with the brother of Jared, with the life of Saul/Paul, with each and every story of young prophets and kings- Samuel, David, Enoch, etc. Maybe their communities told them they were nothing special, but the Lord said otherwise.

All my life, people have told me I'm smart. Smart or intelligent being the key words, not beautiful or funny. I like being smart and I work hard to be smart. I love to learn and discover, but rather than pure intelligence, most of it comes from just work and study. There was a time when I tried to define myself by what my brain could decipher, create, and figure out; when I thought I could measure my worth by the number of recognitions, awards, test scores, and rankings. Certain setbacks made me step back and realize that it was only a part of me.

So I started to concentrate more on relationships-forming lasting and loving relationships. I have a lot of love to give and sometimes I give too much. I try so hard to be loyal and supportive and dependable and sometimes I feel like I don't get back the same amount of effort and love in relationships. I feel like I've failed in many relationships, including most of my romantic ones. That can be a post for another time, but I include this because for awhile I tried to define myself exclusively by the quality and success of my relationships.

These are just two examples. I didn't need the Divergent series to tell me I want to be more than more thing. I'm not just a scientist, or a teacher, or selfless, or generous. I want to be all of those. I can be all of those things and more because of Jesus Christ. Because of the Savior, I can change, grow, and progress like Peter. I can become who He needs me to become. And like the opening quote reminds us, we are are children of God and we are meant to shine.

Where did August go?

It's September.

I LOVE September. It is a beautiful glorious month. (Something I keep reminding myself as all the angry people start calling at work.)

But where did August go? My life was rearranged completely last month which may contribute to the loss of time. It was my first full month of driving stick shift, which is coming along quite nicely apart from getting stuck on hills from time to time. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I feel like I'm always in control, and it has definitely given me more respect for my vehicle. I also gained three new roommates! My beautiful sister, Sheena (formerly nicknamed Aurora here), and two crazy furry friends have turned my quaint one-bedroom apartment into a world of adventure and mystery, and yes, chaos. Yuki, the nine-month old Lab mix, is as cute as can be, barks at everything, and is skittish around strangers (she's warming up to me). Camo, Aurora's cat, is the bane of my existence at the moment. Outraged at being shut out of the bedroom ( due to my cat allergy), she meows at the bedroom door at 1am, 3am, and 5am, or at any other interval she decided upon. And as clean and tidy as we are trying to be, the car fur has me sneezing and my eyes watering. The things we do for sisters.

Whatever sorrow I'm feeling at the passing of August is swallowed in the joy and excitement I have for September! First of all, my mission companion, Hermanita Fletcher, comes home tomorrow!! Woot woot! I am so excited to see her and all her awesomeness : ) Then, fingers crossed that it all works out, several other friends are coming down for her homecoming so I will get to see even more mission friends. Man, I really miss my mission.

After that, September is filled with more glorious weddings. Two I get to attend and one that I cannot. ( Sorry Garth & Bailey- I'm sending lots of love your way!) This Friday brings the wedding of two good friends which will be really great. (Grilled cheese anyone? Ladies- you know what I'm talking about ; ) And then in two weeks I get to go to California!!!! Two of my favorite people, Fusi and David are getting married in the Oakland temple and I couldn't be more excited if it was my own wedding (ok, only a little bit). Fusi, another one of my beloved mission companions, is Tongan and her fiancee is Colombian so please just try to imagine the wonderful culture infusion that will be their wedding. Definitely bringing my dancing shoes. Plus, I'm really excited to see other friends from the mission! It will be my first time in California period and I'm excited to visit the beach and explore a little. If anyone has suggestions on what to do in the San Francisco/Oakland area, I am all ears.

I know I owe ya'll some pictures of my adorable new roommates and all my new adventures so I am working on it. Pictures to come. Meanwhile, check out this article about Elder Enzio Busche. I love this quote by him. “The adversary’s greatest power is to give us fear, to tell us that what the Lord requires will be too uncomfortable, too impossible to do. But as we obey, the Lord will fill us with love and inexpressible joy. Until we subdue ourselves to the Lord, we can only experience frustration and pain. When we do subdue ourselves to his will, we are filled with peace and dignity in all circumstances, no matter how challenging. This, to me, is the greatest victory we can achieve.”

Tweet Tweet

I have been consciously avoiding Twitter for several years now. When I started this blog for my Digital Civilizations class, part of our coursework dealt with learning to use and apply digital tools. But I refused to sign up for Twitter. It just seemed excessive- post a Facebook status, tweet that, send a picture to Instagram, pin it to Pinterest, and blog about all of that. I don't want to just live my life online- I want to really live it. At the same time, me and this thing I have about connectedness, I wonder if Twitter is really doing just that. Is it connecting us as we tweet back and forth?

Then this week, Elder Bednar (click here for the full talk) gave the Tuesday morning devotional at BYU about social media. He reminded us that we have a part to play "to sweep the earth with a flood" of uplifting and inspiring messages. Simply put, "social media gives us a way to share simple messages of goodness and truth." He quoted Brigham Young (from back in 1862) saying, "Every discovery in science and art, that is really true and useful to mankind has been given by direct revelation from God, though but few acknowledge it. It has been given with a view to prepare the way for the ultimate triumph of truth, and the redemption of the earth from the power of sin and Satan. We should take advantage of all these great discoveries, the accumulated wisdom of ages, and give to our children the benefit of every branch of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work”. Wow. 1862? Can you see that eternal perspective?

He gave some basic guidelines for social media use including:

• Be authentic and consistent
• Seek to edify and uplift- not argue, debate, condemn, or belittle
• Respect intellectual property
• Be wise and vigilant

He did not come out and tell all of us to blog if we aren't, to get an account for all social media sites, etc. He didn't tell me to get a Twitter account. The Spirit did. He merely invited us to turn our influence for good into a mighty flood of positivity and goodness in a world often filled with cynicism and selfishness.

I love sharing the gospel and the joy it brings me here on my blog. I love sharing things via Facebook. And I'm looking forward to sharing goodness through Twitter. I want to reflect the immense gratitude, peace, and sense of purpose I have in my life because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope you will all join me in this new adventure. #sharegoodnes #newadventures #ElderBednar @kristi_girasol

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

When I saw the ice bucket challenge my first thought was not on the cold water or the funny reactions. My first thought was Morrie Schwartz.

Mitch Albom's Tuesdays With Morrie has been a powerful book for me. A young man who has forgotten how to really live combined with an old teacher who has learned how to die. Morrie was dying from ALS, or "Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease,". According to the ALS Association it " is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed."

Every case is different. Some pass away quickly. Others live many productive years with the disease as a part of their lives. Any given year about 30,000 American struggle with the disease and there is no cure. There is one medication developed to slow the progression and spread of ALS, but it does not cure it. I love how this challenge has spread awareness and ignited support for research and I can't help but thinking what a difference it would make if each year there was one cause everyone supported and donated for. Cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's Disease, local food banks, education in Africa. Take your pick- name one. Can you imagine the difference if we saw this kind of incredible support for so many causes?

But lest we forget the real purpose behind all the hilarious ice bucket challenge videos ( I mean, who didn't love Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher getting the ice dumped from a tractor, or Jennifer Garner and Shakira helping their husbands complete the challenge), I want you to remember Morrie. Or someone else who has been affected by ALS. You know how cold you are after that cold water? How you momentarily lose control of limbs and speech? Imagine living your life that way, slowly losing control of movement, speech, and eventually all other functions. So remember why we are doing this.

When we remember, part of them is still with us. So here are some of my favorite Morrie quotes:


“Death ends a life, not a relationship.”


“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”


“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. Let it come in. We think we don’t deserve love, we think if we let it in we’ll become too soft. But a wise man named Levin said it right. He said, “Love is the only rational act.”

Tidbit Thursday- 25 Fun Facts About the Universe

It's been awhile since I've shared my love of trivia so here is another dose of Tidbit Thursday, thanks in part to MSN:

• If you eat a polar bears' liver, you will die of a vitamin A overdose.
•  Scallops have dozens of eyes and they are usually blue.
• Cleopatra lived closer in time to the building of the Empire State Building than the construction of the Great Pyramid.
• And speaking of pyramids, there were still mammoths on the Earth when the pyramids were being built.
• A banana is technically a berry (say what?!), but a raspberry is not.
• And a peanut is not a nut- it's a legume.
• All of the American flags left on the moon have been bleached white by radiation from the sun.
• The deepest point in the ocean is measured to be about 3,6200 ft, or roughly the length of 37 Eiffel towers.
• Though mercury is a metal, it just happens to be a liquid at room temperature.
• One head of human hair could support the weight of two elephants. I'm not sure how they are measuring this exactly...
• Oxford University is older than the modern English language.
• The entire current population on Earth could fit inside Texas and still be less crowded than New York City. Go Texas : )
• If all the shrimp in the ocean snapped their claws at the same time, it would reach 246 decibels, potentially making shrimp the loudest animal in the ocean. But I mean, really? Who figured that out? And why?
• The surface area of Russia is slightly larger than the dwarf-planet, Pluto. Wow, an the similarities continue between arctic Russia and the frozen Pluto.
• Every human is born with the ability to wiggle their ears. But it the talent is not discovered early, the muscle atrophies. Darn it. I missed by chance.
• Breathing in the city of Mumbai for one day is equivalent to smoking two and a half packs of cigarettes.
• Alexander the Great conquered half the known world by age 22. Makes me feel like a slacker.
• There are more possible games of chess than there are known atoms in the universe-- I did some more research on this bizarre fact to discover than the number of known atoms is 10^79 while the number of unique chess games is 10^120.
• And while we are talking chess, the word "checkmate" comes from an Arabic term "Shah mat", which means "the king is dead".
• Also, the first folding chess board was invented in the 1100's by a priest. Designed to fold in half and look like two books, it helped them conceal the game since it was forbidden to the priests.
• Neptune has barely completed one complete orbit since it was discovered in 1846.
• And Pluto has yet to complete one orbit since it's discovery and won't until March 23, 2178.
• The heart of a blue whale is roughly the size of Volkswagen Beetle and it's aorta is large enough for a human to crawl through!!
• Lego makes more tires than any company in the world. Including real tire companies.

"The more connected we feel to our righteous forefathers, the more likely we are to make wise and righteous choices."- Elder William R Walker